Help safeguard the critical funding that remains at risk by contacting your federal elected officials.
Our organization is facing challenges, and we want to keep you updated without overwhelming your inbox. In that vein, we have some new and pertinent information to share regarding last month’s temporary freeze on federal funding and the ongoing review of federal grant programs for compliance with Executive Orders.
We hope the following will help shed light on the continued risk to a significant portion of our budget and inspire you to take 10 minutes to use the contact info that follows to reach out to our federal elected officials and ask them to act to ensure important resources remain available for our community. Our leadership is also working to establish communication channels with Montana’s congressional delegation to educate them on the value federal dollars have in our community.
A few weeks ago, we shared that about 70% of our funding would be impacted by the administration’s funding freeze. Several funding sources remain at risk:
We are not able to apply for new grant funding from sources that have existed for several decades. All funding opportunities through the Office on Violence Against Women have been withdrawn.
As of now, three of the grants we reapply for annually will cease to provide funding unless these opportunities are reinstated. This will result in a loss of about $250,000 in revenue for our next fiscal year starting July 1 (about 15% of our budget).
These funds have a long review process after the submission deadline, taking anywhere from 6-10 months. The longer these opportunities are paused, the longer our gap in funding will be.
These same funding sources also support a variety of services across the state including community-based victim services, court-appointed special advocates (CASAs), child advocacy centers (CACs), victim witness coordinators, law enforcement, prosecutors, hospitals and medical clinics, and Montana Legal Services Association.
The loss of this annual source of revenue to agencies like The Friendship Center, and those listed above, will be detrimental to victims of crime in our state and to the safety of our communities.
While these numbers don’t loom large in terms of the national budget, they are significant for the safety of Montanans.
We continue to explore and implement changes to reduce our reliance on federal funding, but it is currently critical to our ability to successfully serve our clients. We are also experiencing reduced funding from private foundations for domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking (DVSAS), and support for the most rural reaches of Montana is even harder to find.
The need is real. In 2024, The Friendship Center alone served over 700 victims of DVSAS and answered more than 3,000 crisis line calls, chats, and texts in our tri-county service area. We provided almost 17,000 nights of shelter to nearly 200 women, men, and children. Even with our high service numbers, there is still greater need:
1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been the victim of severe physical violence at the hands of their partner at some point in their lifetime—potentially 12,000 women and nearly 7,000 men in our service area alone.
Rates of sexual abuse or assault are high for youth: 11% for girls and 5% for boys.
In Montana, survey results estimated 33% of women experienced rape in their lifetime, higher than the national average of 27%.
Nearly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men have experienced stalking at some point in their lifetime—potentially 16,000 women and 8,000 men in our service area alone. In addition, 11% of stalking victims have been stalked for five years or more.
Any abrupt halt in grant funding will be to the detriment of the health and safety of our community and the people experiencing violence. Ensuring individual and public safety is a primary function of government, and we are a critical component of our community’s safety infrastructure.
We are bolstered by your support of our mission, and deeply thankful for the exceptional generosity of our community that allows us to provide a broad variety of services. We hope you’ll consider using the information below to contact our members of congress. A few minutes of your time can help preserve valuable resources in our community.
Rep. Downing
DC Office: 202.225.3211
Helena Office: 406.502.1435
Rep. Zinke
DC Office: 202.225.5628
Bozeman Office: 406.602.6030
Sen. Daines
DC Office: 202.224.2651
Helena Office: 406.443.3189
Sen. Sheehy
DC Office: 202.224.2644
Helena Office: 406.441.1069
Violence does not discriminate, and The Friendship Center will continue to stand with anyone who has been impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. If you or someone you know needs help, our services are available 24/7. Visit our services page to explore resources for victims and advocates, learn more about our services, and get connected with an advocate.
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